Chapter 979: Drake Rider

"The King of Hell?"

"This guy, he's one of the King of Hell's people?"

"He's a subordinate of Huang Quan, the one who controls spatial and temporal attributes?"

Xiao Ren's eyes widened. As an assassin for "Three Pillars of Incense," one of the dark forces, his intelligence network was vast, but he had never before heard the name "Water Ghost."

Yet, the name "King of Hell Huang Quan" was universally known!

This was a figure almost as renowned as the "Holy Slave Leader"!

"Three Pillars of Incense," restrained by the Holy Divine Palace above them, would not disrupt the order of the righteous path even when undertaking assassination missions.

But "Holy Slave" and "King of Hell" were "true dark organizations," either rebelling against worldly order or continental rules, completely incomparable.

The former had openly declared war on the Holy Divine Palace, and recently even engaged in overt and covert struggles in the Yunlun Mountains, leveraging the hands of the Saints.

Although the latter was discreet, Xiao Ren knew that "King of Hell" had been coveting the "Teardrop Family Eyes" for years.

These items were connected to the "Teardrop Clan Massacre."

Whispers suggested that even the Imperial Control Bureau had been involved in the "Teardrop Clan Massacre."

Someone from such a terrifying dark force...

"No wonder he's so strong and controls water-elemental profundities!" Xiao Ren's heart plummeted. As a fellow Void, he felt such despair that he couldn't even contemplate resistance.

His thoughts quickly returned from the opponent's identity to the main issue.

Xiao Ren hadn't forgotten that the Water Ghost's willingness to reveal his identity was purely due to his eccentricity.

The second option the Water Ghost offered clearly had a teasing, almost sadistic, quality. However, Xiao Ren had no means of resistance at this moment and could only lament:

"Senior, please don't toy with me, and there's no need to test me.

"As you know, in this Law-Forbidden Barrier, I can't even use spiritual energy, let alone send messages to the outside world or find someone to be a scapegoat?"

Just moments ago, he was a "friend," treated as an equal, and now the address changed to "Senior"?

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled inwardly, shaking his head. "You've misunderstood. What I meant wasn't for you to find a 'scapegoat,' but for you to summon others to die alongside you... That way, you'll have company on the road to the Underworld."

Xiao Ren was stunned.

How could this person utter such cruel words with a completely calm expression?

And, how could the meaning of his words be so unyielding, not allowing for any misinterpretation?

He took a deep breath. "Senior, I'd like to hear the third option."

"So, you intend to abandon the second option?" Xu Xiaoshou smiled.

"No, I just want to hear it first..." Xiao Ren's words trailed off as he noticed the Water Ghost's expression shift from relaxed to serious. He immediately stopped speaking.

Damn it!

How is this giving choices?

This is clearly about stripping away limitations one by one, then pushing me step by step towards the abyss!

Xiao Ren cursed inwardly but could only change his tone. "Yes, Senior, I refuse the second option. I'd like to hear the third..."

"You've refused the first and second, so you can only accept the third," Xu Xiaoshou said unequivocally, gently twirling the illusory "Sea-Guiding Divine Halberd" in his hand.

Water flowed, pushing out ripples in the deep sea, but the atmosphere solidified with his words.

Xiao Ren's face turned pale, his eyelids twitching wildly. He suppressed his anger and said politely, "Senior, do I have the right to know the content of the third option?"

"You do."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at him with a smile, like a benevolent Bodhisattva, calmly saying:

"The third option is: I give you ten breaths of time to escape.

"During this period, you can use any ability you possess. As long as you run out of my line of sight, your escape will be considered successful, and I will no longer pursue you.

"But if ten breaths of time pass, and you haven't successfully escaped my sight, then the 'Sea-Guiding Divine Halberd' in my hand won't mind having another wandering soul wrapped around it."

Xu Xiaoshou caressed the divine halberd in his hand, and with his movements, the water again spread out in ripples.

Xiao Ren clung to it like a last straw, staring intently at the Sea-Guiding Divine Halberd, and pressed, "Senior, do you mean that within ten breaths, I can use any ability, and the Law-Forbidden Barrier will no longer suppress me?"

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. "You're dreaming."

Xiao Ren: ???

If the Law-Forbidden Barrier is still active, how am I supposed to escape?

Even if I run for my life, I can't escape you, the master of the deep sea!

"Censured, Passive Point, +1."

Xu Xiaoshou diverted his attention from the information bar and chuckled:

"I forgot to mention, you can't seek external help, but in the deep sea, there are indeed good people.

"Within ten breaths, no matter what method you use, as long as you can find someone and get them to respond to you, one person's response can increase your escape time... by ten breaths!

"I believe those sanctimonious Spirit Cultivators from the Holy Divine Palace will help a poor soul like you."

"And by extension, how wide your network is, and how many Spirit Cultivators in the deep sea will respond to you, will determine how much longer your life will be."

Xu Xiaoshou spread his hands, announcing with a relaxed and carefree air, like a deity controlling the fates of all beings.

Xiao Ren, however, was on the verge of going mad.

What kind of game rules were these?

How could someone play with a person like this?!

I am a Void, not a dog to be chased around by you!

At one point, Xiao Ren even decided to strike, erupting with his final resort with lightning speed, embracing the Water Ghost in front of him in a mutual destruction.

But the scene of the Water Ghost riding waves through Yunlun, his halberd destroying the arrows of the Sinful Bow, was vivid in his memory.

Coupled with the Abyss of the Deep Sea and the Law-Forbidden Barrier, it had long since eroded even the courage of a Void.

Xiao Ren suppressed the urge to attack.

He felt that doing so would undoubtedly accelerate his death.

Suppressing his fury, though not his gnashing teeth, Xiao Ren forced an ugly, unnatural smile and asked, "Dare I ask, Senior, we have no grudge between us, why won't you spare me?"

Xu Xiaoshou smiled at his words.

No grudge?

You wanted to exchange my head for bounty, and you talk about no grudge?

To be fair, I, Xu Xiaoshou, am the most innocent one. Why can everyone take my head for cultivation resources while I can only sit and wait for death?

Xu Xiaoshou smiled silently.

He smiled for a long time, so long that Xiao Ren's scalp tingled, before he collected all facial emotions and said indifferently:

"Any person, if kicked by a dog while walking down the street, would feel annoyed." He said, his eyes chilling. "My mood is dull today, and I want to kill someone to liven things up... Are you satisfied with this explanation?"

The sudden shift in killing intent was as cold as the currents that could freeze everything in the deep sea.

Gazing at the Water Ghost's now indifferent eyes behind the golden beast mask, Xiao Ren's heart clenched fiercely, trembling with rage.

That's it?

Just for that?

"There must be some short-sighted idiot who provoked this guy.

"And I'm just an innocent person, just passing by. Why do I have to suffer all this for him?"

Xiao Ren roared inwardly, both furious at the Water Ghost's malicious transfer of anger and resentful towards the unknown person who had provoked the Water Ghost.

—Why provoke this pervert for no reason? It's just sick!

"I..." He hesitated, unable to make a decision for a long time.

"No need for 'I, I, I.' I've chosen for you: the third option!" Xu Xiaoshou said indifferently, then paused, as if remembering the most crucial detail. "Remember, during your escape, you can still use any means at your disposal, including revealing my identity and shifting animosity."

"And now, time is short. I'm going to start counting."

Xiao Ren raised his eyes in alarm, not yet having processed the meaning of those words, nor had he time to say anything else...

"Ten!"

Xu Xiaoshou's death countdown began.

With a thump, Xiao Ren's heart was heavily struck, feeling the suction force of the water sphere intensify in an instant, leaving him powerless.

"Nine!"

The grim reaper's pronouncement came without delay.

At this moment, Xiao Ren felt as if the golden beast-masked man holding the halberd in front of him had grown to immense height, like a sea god incarnate.

He had initially thought about making a desperate struggle, fighting until blood flowed.

But after such a long time, inexplicably, the opponent's aura had completely suppressed his own.

At this moment, Xiao Ren didn't even have a flicker of thought about striking. He seemed to have completely lost the will to "act" itself.

"Eight!"

Three breaths had passed.

Xiao Ren finally realized he was scared, too scared to act...

Completely terrified!

Since that was the case, it would be better to follow the opponent's game rules, find someone to respond, and thus extend his life.

"As long as I escape his line of sight, as long as I leave here..."

"I can live, I can live!"

Xiao Ren murmured to himself, repeating silently, afraid of wasting time. He turned directly, and with a shake of his body, golden light burst forth from him.

"Aoo—"

Deep beneath the sea, a resounding dragon's roar echoed.

Immediately after, the water sphere covering Xiao Ren burst with a *pop*.

Horns grew on his head, golden dragon scales appeared on his skin, and his body rapidly elongated...

In just a breath, the small, round-headed, big-eyed boy transformed into a formidable hundred-zhang long, four-clawed, golden-horned giant dragon.

"Gold-Devouring Dragon!"

Xu Xiaoshou gazed at this mystical scene beneath the deep sea, feeling the surrounding dragon's might almost push away and overwhelm his own "Aura of Devouring Mountains and Rivers."

He was almost forced to hunch over and retreat by this terrifying aura.

Fortunately, he was prepared. Even though his legs were weak and trembling from the dragon's might, Xu Xiaoshou showed not the slightest sign of it.

Intelligence gleaned from Jin Zu's soul memory revealed:

Xiao Ren's true form was a "Gold-Devouring Dragon"!

This was almost a naturally endowed Saint Body coupled with a Throne Body. It possessed the special ability to devour metal to grow, and its physical body's toughness far exceeded that of ordinary Throne Bodies.

Jin Zu also knew most of Xiao Ren's other abilities.

But every one of them seemed unusable within the Law-Forbidden Barrier.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know if Xiao Ren had any unknown trump cards hidden.

But no matter what, when pushed to the extreme, Xiao Ren could disregard everything, even if it meant bursting the water sphere, to revert to his true form.

The physical strength of a "Gold-Devouring Dragon" was enough to sustain it in the deep sea, resisting heavy pressure for a long time, and then counter-killing a mere Master-level opponent like himself.

This was also why Xu Xiaoshou didn't actively attack and kill.

He had many killing methods at his disposal in the deep sea.

But when it came to killing a Void, perhaps only the "water sphere cracking" technique, utilizing water pressure to kill, would work.

Clearly, this was not applicable to Xiao Ren.

Or rather, the instant burst power wasn't enough; he could only be ground to death by water pressure!

Every Void had trump cards.

Just like Jin Zu's "Marrow-Sucking Heart" and Xiao Ren's true form, the "Gold-Devouring Dragon."

If Xu Xiaoshou wanted to solve the problem, he had to be extremely careful. Otherwise, he knew there was a greater probability of him being solved by the problem.

"Remember what you said!"

As he marveled, the Gold-Devouring Dragon, unable to bear the immense pressure and its dragon body slightly distorted, suddenly looked back. Its two dragon eyes, larger than a human's, raised with difficulty, flickering with dim golden light. The human speech it uttered still carried an overwhelming sense of dread.

The Water Ghost was truly strong... Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but marvel at himself. If it weren't for the Water Ghost's face, if it weren't for the "Aura of Devouring Mountains and Rivers" passive skill,

His "Empty Fort Strategy" would probably have him swallowed whole by Xiao Ren the moment he saw through it.

"Seven!"

Still calm and composed, as if a giant dragon in his eyes was merely an ant, Xu Xiaoshou continued counting with utmost tranquility.

In fact, due to the shock, he had delayed for a full three breaths while counting this number.

Xiao Ren's dragon body looked back, only to see the Water Ghost's composed figure standing with his halberd, and his heart sank further into despair.

Even the "Gold-Devouring Dragon" in its true form couldn't withstand the deep-sea pressure, yet the Water Ghost could be so composed. How could anyone even think of resisting?

Xiao Ren didn't waste another moment, not caring that his hundred-zhang body was so terrified by an ant-like human figure that he dared not attack.

He finished his sentence, then turned and fled.

"Aoo—"

As the dragon's roar echoed, the Gold-Devouring Dragon cut through the water.

Even in the deep sea, where water pressure was extremely high, its speed was faster than the average speed of a falling water sphere.

This was almost comparable to the speed of a Throne Dao Realm expert traveling on land, but in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes, it was nothing.

The basic ability granted by the Mimic was that after he transformed into the Water Ghost, his movements underwater were freer than on land.

"Come on!

"New achievement unlocked... Dragon Rider!"

With an inexplicable smile, as if playing a game, Xu Xiaoshou slashed with his illusory divine halberd, pushed off with his feet, and like a sea god venturing forth, easily caught up with the Gold-Devouring Dragon's speed.

Can't shake him off...

During the intervals of cutting through the water, since he couldn't use his spiritual sense, Xiao Ren, in his transformed Gold-Devouring Dragon form, would steal glances back.

But each time he looked back, there was a ghostly figure hot on his heels, never letting go.

Xiao Ren despaired.

He finally understood why this King of Hell member was codenamed "Water Ghost."

He truly was the King of Hell of the waters, with a ghost-like temperament, and his every word and action revealed an inhuman "perversion."

"That damned son of a bitch..."

Xiao Ren cursed inwardly, yet he kept listening to the counting from behind, changing from "seven" to "five," and soon to "three"...

"Three breaths!

"No time left!

"My life, only three breaths of lingering time remaining!"

Suddenly, hot tears welled up in Xiao Ren's dragon eyes.

He felt so humiliated!

He was clearly a Void, clearly possessed the incredibly powerful, indestructible golden attribute.

Yet, because of this ghost-like bastard, because of the Law-Forbidden Barrier in the deep sea...

Everything had become an illusion!

Aside from transforming into a dragon and escaping under heavy pressure, he could do nothing!

Even his curses had to be hidden within dragon roars that the pursuer behind him shouldn't understand... Damn it, damn it, damn it!

"Must find someone, must find someone. I haven't lived enough, I'm still so young, I haven't killed Xu Xiaoshou yet..."

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die..."

Xiao Ren suddenly felt like crying.

For the Gold-Devouring Dragon's long lifespan, he was still a child and shouldn't have to endure all this.

"One!"

Amidst his chaotic thoughts, the counting from behind had reached "one"!

The Gold-Devouring Dragon that Xiao Ren had transformed into suddenly lost all strength, no longer resisting, allowing the water pressure to press its dragon body downwards.

At this moment, he even felt that there was no time to turn back and fight.

Because the counting had reached its end, the dragon was about to die...

At the critical moment, in the falling Gold-Devouring Dragon's eyes, a blurry outline of a water sphere suddenly appeared in the distance.

Xiao Ren's dragon eyes lit up as if he had seen a lifeline. At this moment, he completely abandoned his dignity as a Void and began to wail like he was crying, with his dragon body:

"Save me, save me!

"The King of Hell's Water Ghost is chasing me, please save me!"